


One Foot In Front of the Other

by Shaicarus



Series: DIY: A guide to family [1]
Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Din is also very concussed, Din needs a nap, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Just excruciatingly rattled, Not Beta Read, One Shot, Parent-Child Relationship, Sort Of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-21
Updated: 2020-02-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:56:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 703
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22830601
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaicarus/pseuds/Shaicarus
Summary: It felt as if the air itself had turned into tar. He eyed the last few dozen meters back to the Razor Crest with the same gritty determination with which he’d brandished a vibroblade at a charging mudhorn.
Relationships: Baby Yoda & The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)
Series: DIY: A guide to family [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1641292
Comments: 4
Kudos: 124





	One Foot In Front of the Other

Din had been exhausted before, but he couldn’t remember a time in his life where he was as bone-achingly tired as he was then. Even in the hardest days of training as a child, when everything was new and so goddamn hard, he hadn’t been that tired.

The last of the adrenaline surge had faded as he buried Kuiil, and by the time he settled Kuiil’s hat in place as a makeshift gravestone, picked the kid back up, and straightened back to his full height, it felt as if the air itself had turned into tar. He eyed the last few dozen meters back to the  _ Razor Crest _ with the same gritty determination with which he’d brandished a vibroblade at a charging mudhorn.

A small green hand patted at the bottom of Din’s helmet, and the child cooed in quiet curiosity. Din drew in a deep breath and heaved a sigh, armor shifting with the motion, before he started walking. The ground felt as if it was swimming beneath his boots, and the world was getting alarmingly dim and hazy at the edges of his vision.

It felt like it took an hour before he was stepping onto the  _ Razor Crest _ , though it had probably only been a few minutes. His shoulder bumped the wall of the corridor, and he slapped one gauntlet against the gangplank controls before he sank to the floor. Back to the wall, legs akimbo, one hand curled limply in his lap. The only sign that his strings hadn’t been cut like a puppet was the arm still curled to cradle the child to his chestplate. Even so, it seemed more likely that his arm had simply gotten stiff in that position, if the mechanical motion to set the kid back down was any indication.

The kid’s feet were safely on the floor, and Din’s shoulders sagged more heavily against the wall.

He had to get up. Now.

Riiiiight now.

Come on.

_ Now _ .

His chin dipped towards his chest.

Maybe a minute passed. Maybe an hour passed. He didn’t know. His attention was pulled back to the present by the sound of the cot creaking and the kid whining in exertion. Din lifted his head, helmet thumping back against the wall, and used its weight to turn and look deeper into the ship.

The kid had hauled the blanket off of Din’s cot and was slowly but steadily trying to drag it towards Din. He wasn’t making any headway, but his goal was clear nonetheless. Din let out a breath like he’d been punched between the shoulders.

Alright. Getting up.

He shifted his weight to the side and got his knees under himself, braced his hands on the wall, and hauled himself up off of the floor. The ship seemed to sway with the motion, and his hands tensed against the wall before pushing away from it and shoving himself into motion.

One foot, then the other. He just had to get to the cockpit first. Just get the ship off the ground and the autopilot engaged.

He stooped to pick the kid up along his path, leaning a shoulder against the wall as he straightened back up. He practically dragged himself up the ladder to the cockpit, and dropped himself down into the pilot’s chair.

The kid cooed at the flight controls, but he kept his hands to himself for a change. Instead, he waited until the ship stopped rattling as it broke through the atmosphere, for the autopilot to engage, and for Din to sag back into the chair before reaching for him.

Din caught his hands carefully, murmuring, “I’m onto you.”

The kid pouted up at him, ears folding back.

“Don’t give me that look,” Din huffed. “Tomorrow. After the bacta’s finished doing its job. After we’ve both had a chance to get some sleep. Then you can do whatever sorcery you want.”

The kid pouted for a moment longer, before evidently conceding defeat, curling up to go to sleep right there in Din’s lap. Din huffed out a breath that was too tired to be a laugh, curling one hand over the back of the kid’s head. “Yeah. Seems like you’ve got the right idea.”

**Author's Note:**

> hit me up on [tumblr](https://shaicarus.tumblr.com/) if you wanna chat


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